Chapter Fourteen
Creide was gone since five days. For four days the spirits looked for her and Dean, but even with the god and Gabriel returning to the valley they were not closer to finding her. The spirits would've noticed if anyone would've entered the valley with ill intentions and that meant that Creide left the valley on her own, but for her not to tell Patrick where she was going was beyond worrying. Her son always came first no matter what.
Patrick didn't shut his eyes for more than half an hour at a time since days, he trusted Dean and that if someone could find his Mother it would be him but he felt lost and terrified despite it. Suddenly he wanted to swallow back down all his childish complaints about not being allowed to get out of the valley on his own, he just wanted her back and he didn't care if that made him sound like he was a child again.
Gabriel searched even further than the spirits with no success. The archangel was disturbed by not being able to sense her location everyone could tell, he explained that angels could find any human on Earth at will and if Creide was hidden it meant that someone used a powerful spell to hide her presence or she was with someone stronger than Gabriel, which was unthinkable.
'There are only five beings in creation who wield a greater power than I' he said darkly.
The third option – that no one said out loud in front of Patrick – was that she was dead. Gabriel cut himself off of Heaven so he had no way of knowing if her soul arrived there or not. Dean would not believe that option to be possible. Creide was strong and skilled in her arts she would not be killed that easily.
'Regardless, she is but human' Gabriel told him quietly. Dean could tell that the angel didn't believe there was anyone knowledgeable enough in angelic magic to be able to hide someone from an archangel, but Dean was not ready to think Creide to be dead. Not yet.
On the sixth day Dean's eyes widened when Gabriel touched two fingers to Patrick's forehead and the young man crumbled into his arms like a rag doll unconsciously.
'He needed sleep' Gabriel explained simply and Dean nodded, the kid was ready to pass out from fatigue, but worry didn't let him shut his eyes for long. Not like the god slept much, but he was sure that the angel would simply knock him out too if he refused to rest that little he did.
On the seventh day Patrick realized that his Father's Book of Shadows was gone as well. Gabriel cursed in Enochian angrily.
On the eighth day Dean had no idea where to keep searching for a clue, any clue about where Creide might've gone with Gwydion's Book. He was tired and looking at Patrick made him feel like he failed. Gabriel drew him in his arms and told him that no blame fell on him. Dean wanted to believe him, but this was his home, his valley, he was everyone's guardian who lived here.
On the ninth day Patrick shouted and was breaking and crashing whatever got in his way and he was cursing and asking why Puck was not with them. What could be there more important that keeps him away when he should be helping them? Dean told him to give the faun some time as he probably didn't even know that Creide was gone.
He asked the spirits when they last saw Puck and most said he was gone since the day Dean left for his trip. Vulupa – the fox spirit – told him that he last saw the faun a few hours before Patrick came to them looking for his mother.
On the tenth day Dean summoned him.
x~x~x
One of the most useful thing about fairies was that they could be summoned with the right spell no matter where they were in the human world or the other side. Dean lost his patience for waiting for him to show up again.
Only Gabriel was by his side, Patrick asleep for the first time in three days. The second Dean finished the last words a crystal blue portal opened and Puck appeared in front of them stumbling through it.
'Dammit you bloody dimwit' he cursed. 'You know how unpleasant it is to be summoned.'
'Creide's gone' Dean said.
'Gone where?' the faun asked.
'If I knew that there would be no problem now would be?' the demigod answered.
'What do you want me to do about it?' Puck asked.
'Help maybe, it's been ten days already and she left the valley on her own. When did you two talk last? Don't you have any idea where she could've headed?'
'No, we are not that close to chatter regularly and I've been away since I expected you to be gone for a while longer.'
Dean looked at his friend for long moments.
'Where were you anyway?' he asked.
'Do you really want me to answer that question?' Puck asked in return glancing at Gabriel.
'Creide left with Gwydion's Book' Dean told him. 'Doesn't that give you an idea where she might've gone?' the god asked.
'Hmm... no.'
'You're lying' Dean said, his eyes widened for a second before his brows furrowed deeply.
'What now?'
'You're lying, I can tell' Dean repeated, his voice hardening. 'I know how you lie, you're the one who thought me how to lie. I can tell you are lying to me right now.'
'Deandalon, don't be foolish' the faun chided.
'Maybe it's you who should not be a fool' Gabriel said.
'You... stay out of this!' Puck pointed at the archangel with a stern look, Gabriel narrowed his eyes.
'What did you do Puck?' Dean asked, because he just knew there was something not right.
'You stupid kid' Puck grumbled. 'I swear I knew this was gonna happen, humans and gods are all the same, you get so easily distracted by shiny things, it's like that multiplied in you. You had a plan, we had a plan! And you're leaving me in shit for some bloody angel, charmed and softened by pretty wings and golden eyes... I swear like a bitch dog in heat... unbelievable.'
Dean felt as the hair stood up in his back and he knew that the charge in the air was not natural, Gabriel was getting angry.
'What did you do?' he asked in a harder tone now, Puck was of course unfazed.
'Well since you were shitting all over the plan and knew you would not listen to reason even before I tried to talk some sense into you I had to improvise of course.'
'Puck what in the bloody earth did you do?' Dean was angry now, but Puck just sighed in an annoyed manner.
'Nothing too drastic' he said with a shrug as he started to pick his nails. 'I told her some additional information about Gwydion's death that I was in possession of.'
'What?' Dean blinked in surprise.
'Well I intended to leave her believe that it were demons taking revenge for the great Gwydion's research methods, but you didn't leave me that choice Deandalon. I had to do something to move things along, since you were too busy playing swain.'
'So she's...' Puck raised a hand and pointed behind Dean, the god glanced back and saw the great mountains in the distance. 'No... alone? Puck what in the stars where you thinking? She could be already dead!' Dean shouted as he turned back.
'Like I said, I had to do something' the faun answered. 'This was the easiest to do.'
'And risking Creide's life? That doesn't matter?'
'She's just one human Deandalon' Puck answered easily and it made Dean stop altogether. He just stared at him in shock. 'And I value my own life considerably more, so it seems like you need to get up to the mountains now. The sooner the better.'
'Get out of here' Dean growled, his markings darkened and spread on his body instantly as anger spread out in him.
'I did both of us a favour' Puck said.
'Leave. Now' Gabriel spoke up again. His voice was even, but the threat was almost tangible, Dean could feel the edge of the angel's power in the air and Puck could surely too.
'Be careful not to shine too brightly Pixie-boy' the faun told him before he vanished.
The silence was almost deafening to Dean's ear after his departure.
'After we get back with Creide' Gabriel said. 'You have some explaining to do.'
Dean just nodded silently not raising his head to look at the archangel.
x~x~x
The air was much colder high up in the mountains and the icy wind whipped at Dean's skin sharply the second he could take in his surroundings after Gabriel flew them up. They let Patrick sleep, there was no need to bring him along, but Dean did tell the spirits staying close to Creide's hut to tell Patrick that they went to get his mother back.
'We're definitely going to meet some gods' Dean said. 'So remember to keep your power in check and that you're name is "Loki".'
'I know' Gabriel answered. 'How are we going to find her? If she's alive?'
'She's alive!' Dean answered right away. 'And we will ask some questions to find where she is and depending on that... we'll see, just follow my lead.' He started walking up the pathway that lead to the stairs carved into the hard stone and lead up to the gods' residence. Whenever Dean saw it from far away he always thought it to be more of a fort than a castle, but most gods were wargods around here so he was not surprised about that.
Gabriel walked a little bit behind him as they climbed the stairs, there was no sneaking in to this place and Dean didn't want to lose the chance to bargain either by doing something like that. When they reached the top of the stairs the heavy metal doors leading in where wide open and the inner yard was silent and completely desolate.
'Is this supposed to be so empty?' Gabriel asked.
'Not at all' Dean replied, he never been here before but knew that there was supposed to be spirits that served the gods swarming in this place, maybe even some of the gods themselves.
'I may be new to this world, but this doesn't mean anything good, right?' the angel asked.
'No, it probably means something really bad' Dean answered as he started walking again through the iron gates with Gabriel behind him.
'That way' Gabriel spoke up the second he glanced around in the yard. 'I can't see everything behind that door, it's blank' he explained and he was walking closer already.
'Who-wait' Dean stopped him. 'Does this mean that there is indeed somebody with enough knowledge to hide something from you?'
'Or they just have the book' Gabriel explained. 'It has some Enochian sigils in it that might be able to do this if combined correctly.' Gabriel was already on his way again and Dean followed closely behind. The angel pushed open a wooden door at the top of the next set of stairs that landed them in an entrance hall. It was nothing too glamorous, mostly dark-grey stones and heavy drapes around the small stained glass windows the hall was half-way lit by candles and torches which left everything in a vague orange twilight, it was much warmer inside so Dean was sure that someone must've been here. Gabriel's eyes swiftly moved around the room and his head turned to the right a second before the voice rang through the hall.
'Deandalon' the god turned and froze, because he knew, instinctively felt who was standing before him and he couldn't stop his heart from racing, his mind to be flooded with an uncontrollable wave of thoughts.
'Morrígan' he breathed out the name. She was tall and slender, long golden hair fell down her shoulders. Black fur cloak covered her mostly, but a bright breast-plate peeked out from under it that was above her dark green gown. Her eyes were striking even in the dim lit room and for a second Dean thought they were golden, but no not golden – they looked nothing like Gabriel's eyes – her eyes were radiant bronze just like the armor she wore, but it must've looked golden in bright sunlight.
'You are allowed to call me "Mother", Deandalon' she said as she walked into the room with slow elegant steps. 'No need to treat my like we're some strangers.'
'We are strangers' Dean answered, but he couldn't bring himself to snap angrily or put accusation into his voice.
'Hmm that may be' she drawled thoughtfully. 'Nevertheless blood is thicker than water as they say, but tell me first. What are you doing here?' she stopped several feet away her eyes not leaving Dean's face for a moment. 'I don't recall asking you here.'
'There's a witch, under my protection. I'm looking for her' Dean said. Morrígan's laugh rang in the hall.
'Oh, well I say you're more like me than I would've thought you to be then' she said. 'But that doesn't explain what you're doing here, nor who your companion is' she turned her eyes on Gabriel for the first time since she walked into the room. Her face thoughtful and searching.
'This is Loki... a friend of mine' Dean said. 'He's helping me with my search.'
'Loki you say?' she still kept her eyes on the archangel then a slow smile spread on her delicate face. 'That is a very amusing name choice' she said.
'Why would you say that?' Dean asked, but he didn't get an answer as suddenly brilliant white light filled the entire hall and he had to cover his eyes for a second, he heard Gabriel shout, but his voice was gone nearly immediately and when he opened his eyes the angel was gone from his sight. He swiftly turned around when he heard the door slamming shut behind him.
'Amusing name for an archangel, but I do think Gabriel suits him better' said the man standing next to the door with a symbol drawn with blood next to him on the wall. Dean felt as his entire body went rigid at the sight of him and he knew that all the symbols were burning black on his body already.
'Leomas' he growled. The god looked back at him impassively.
'You little pest just can't stop being troublesome' he said, Dean didn't have time to react when the god leaned away from the wall and in a blink he was right in front of him, too fast to follow him with his eyes, there was a hand on his forehead and everything went black.
TBC